1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved vehicle cleaning element and, more particularly, to a cleaning element having a plurality of cleaning strips inserted through slots in a belt-like base component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different kinds of devices are known in the art for washing vehicles by employing rotating brush assemblies or other cleaning elements.
In the field of mechanized vehicle washing, the devices employed are generally of two types. The first is a stationary type often referred to as a tunnel wash, whereby the various components are mounted on stationary frame means and the vehicle to be washed is moved through the device either by conveyor means or by driving the car therethrough along a predetermined path. The second is a rollover type wherein the components of the device are mounted on a frame which in turn is mounted on wheels for movement along a predetermined path wherein the rollover device is moved forwardly and backwardly over a vehicle to wash the vehicle.
Illustrated in FIGS. 6-13 are various cleaning elements employed in connection with known prior art rotating brush assemblies used in connection with devices for washing vehicles.
Shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a cleaning element having a belt-like base component 70 with a plurality of spaced cups 72 extending from one surface thereof. Inserted into each cup are a plurality of folded over filaments 74 secured therein by a thread 76 which is inserted through a hole 78 in the bottom of each cup and around the folded portion of the filaments and then back out of the hole 78 on the bottom surface of the base component 70.
FIGS. 8-13 illustrate other forms of known cleaning elements for rotating brush assemblies. Like numerals are used for like elements in each of FIGS. 8-13 described hereafter.
The cleaning element for a rotating brush shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 has a base component 80 having a plurality of folded cleaning strips 82 attached thereto by means of staples 86 extending through a fastening strip 84, the cleaning strips 82 and a base component 80. As shown in FIG. 9, the staples are crimped at the ends thereof on the backside of the base component.
Shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is a cleaning element having a base component 80 to which are attached cleaning strips 82 by means of staples 86 extending through fastening strips 84, the cleaning strip 82 and a base component 80, with the staples being cramped on the back side of the base component as shown in FIG. 11. The cleaning strips are further attached to the base component 80 by means of threads 88 stitched through the fastening strip 84, the cleaning element 82 and the base component 80.
Shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is a cleaning element formed by attaching cleaning strips 82 to a base component 80 by threads 88 stitched through the cleaning strips 82 and the base component 80.
In the prior art cleaning elements for rotating brush assemblies such as those described above, all of these elements require mechanical ways of positively attaching a cleaning strip to a base component such as by using staples, threads, hand tying and the like.
Such methods as those described above are labor intensive and therefore relatively time consuming and expensive to construct. Such devices are also more difficult to repair since any new cleaning strips must be attached by some positive mechanical attaching means. Accordingly, there has long existed a need in the art for a cleaning element which is of simple construction and easy to manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning element for a vehicle washing apparatus which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art discussed above by providing a cleaning element attached to a movable support wherein the cleaning element includes a base component having a plurality of cleaning strips attached thereto by being inserted through slots in the base component.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning element for use in a rotating brush assembly of a vehicle washing apparatus wherein cleaning strips may be easily attached to a base component by insertion through adjacent slots in a base component whereby two cleaning strips are in overlapping relation so that they are tightly gripped through friction in the slots of the base component and also eliminate gaps between cleaning strips.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning element for a rotating brush assembly for a vehicle washing apparatus wherein cleaning strips can easily be inserted and pulled out of slots in a base component and therefore are easy to replace and repair.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a cleaning element for a rotary brush assembly of a vehicle washing apparatus which is simple in construction and economical to manufacture.
The present invention achieves the above and other objects by providing a vehicle washing apparatus which includes a cleaning element having a plurality of cleaning strips attached to a base component by being inserted through a plurality of spaced slots in the base component with adjacent cleaning strips being mounted in overlapping relationship. The slots in the base component are formed in a plurality of first and second alternating pairs of slots, with the first pairs of slots being positioned closer to a first edge of the base component and the second pairs of slots being positioned closer to an opposite edge of the base component.
The present invention further includes a method of manufacturing a cleaning element for a vehicle washing apparatus which includes the steps of forming a base component, forming a plurality of slots in the base component so that the slots are formed in a plurality of first and second alternating pairs of slots with the first pairs of slots being positioned closer to a first edge of the base component and second pairs of slots being positioned closer to an opposite edge of the base component and inserting cleaning strips through the slots whereby adjacent cleaning strips are in overlapping relation.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description of drawings.